Florida has one of the broadest “government in the sunshine” laws in the nation. Broward County sunshine meeting notices are now available online, promoting greater public involvement in local government.

Documents used to evaluate and award County contracts are now available in an online repository, so interested parties can view the entire purchasing process online.

The expanded use of video conferencing is reducing travel, saving time and money.

More than 9 million visitors viewed more than 129 million pages on broward.org.

The Broward County Board of County Commissioners places a high priority on providing residents with open and easy access to County government.

A new educational programming station, “Broward County TV,” was launched on AT&T U-verse. Customers of the digital subscriber service can now watch educational programming 24/7 on a variety of subjects including emergency preparedness, Broward’s history, transportation, public safety and environmental programs on recycling, water conservation, solar power and ways to go green. Along with cable service provider Comcast, the new channel also carries live broadcasts of County Commission meetings and Purchasing bid openings. Meetings are also webcast live on broward.org/video.

The quality of Commission meeting broadcasts was enhanced through upgrades to audio and video equipment in the meeting rooms.

The new Records, Taxes & Treasury Division website has been simplified so customers can easily find information and conduct business with the agency that serves as Broward County’s tax collector, banker and official records repository. Now it’s easier than ever for customers to go online to search public records, pay taxes, learn how to record a deed, bond or other official document, get an application for a passport, domestic partnership or disabled parking permit, and more.

A new website, broward.org/ReportAComplaint, was created for those who have been victims of discrimination or unscrupulous business practices or want to file a complaint about an unlicensed contractor or suspected fraud in government.

The Human Services Department launched a new user-friendly website at broward.org/HumanServices that makes it easy to find critical services that provide a social safety net. You can now easily navigate services for addiction and recovery, health care services, homelessness, sexual assault, elderly and veterans, family success and more.

The redistricting process was completed when a series of public workshops culminated in Board approval of a new Commission District map in December 2011. Legal descriptions were adopted in February 2012. The new map balances the population within each of the nine Commission districts, according to the 2010 Census data, and can be viewed at broward.org/redistricting.

A Code of Ethics, adopted for County Commissioners in 2010 and later extended to all Broward County employees, was extended to Broward’s 31 municipalities. The code is stringent and places restrictions on outside employment, gifts, procurement procedures and fundraising.

County Commission Goal: Fiscally Sustainable and Transparent Government